


Shade of Gold

by shikamarubase



Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Mentioned Gaara (Naruto), Mentioned Hatake Kakashi - Freeform, Slice of Life, Zine piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26324656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shikamarubase/pseuds/shikamarubase
Summary: Shikamaru unexpectedly stumbled into Temari on his way to Suna, but was it really a coincidence?
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Shade of Gold

It was one of those days Shikamaru wished he wasn’t the Hokage’s assistant. 

He had pulled an all-nighter, catching up on a few days’ worth of work and organizing reports from various small incidents that occured in the period before Naruto and Hinata’s wedding. And just as he was about to go home for a few hours of much needed sleep, Kakashi assigned him to a top-secret mission in Suna, gave him a fancy holder, which looked like it contained a scroll, and told him to depart immediately. 

With a tired sigh, Shikamaru jumped down from the last tree branch and landed on soft soil. Mind hazy from lack of sleep, he still somehow reached the border between Konoha and Suna with time to spare—which meant one thing. Shikamaru slowed down to a leisurely stroll and focused his tired eyes on the clouds. Kakashi might’ve deprived him of sleep and forced him on this mission despite his protests, but he couldn’t stop Shikamaru from mixing work with pleasure. 

The corner of his lips quirked up as he watched the clouds float over his head. Although he’d grown from the lazy and unmotivated kid he used to be, sometimes he’d still find himself envying how carefree the clouds were. If it weren’t for his goal of helping Naruto become Hokage, he’d be embracing the idea of living out the rest of his life as a cloud instead. 

“Shikamaru?” 

“Temari?” He blinked in surprise. Occupied in his daydream, he hadn’t realized the blonde kunoichi was nearby until they were practically on top of each other. “What are you doing here?” 

“Me? I should be asking you that question.” Temari placed a hand to her hip and sent him a puzzled look. “You’re the Hokage’s assistant—I didn’t expect you to be out on field work.” 

Shikamaru shrugged lightly, still confused at the sudden turn of events. “Kakashi suddenly called me to his office and said there was an urgent need to deliver these documents to Suna and no one else was available.” 

Temari skeptically eyed the document clenched in his fist. 

“Gaara told me a messenger from Konoha was coming over with important documents,” she said slowly. “He asked me to accompany them, since violent sandstorms are going to hit the desert within the next few days.” 

It didn’t take them long to piece things together. 

“We were set up,” they simultaneously said, then cackled over how sly their respective Kage were. 

“You‘re the genius here. How come you didn’t figure it out? Temari teased, jabbing his shoulder lightly. 

“I wasn’t the one who was fooled by her own brother,” he retorted in response.

Temari threw up her hands. “Now that we know they were playing matchmaker, what should we do?” The smirk remained on her face, and Shikamaru remembered why spending time with her was worth all the troublesome stuff she put him through. Their time together was rare and far in-between, so if Kakashi and Gaara went through all this trouble to have them meet he certainly wasn’t going to turn down their generosity. 

“Since we’re already here why don’t you escort me to Suna?” He started walking again. Temari trailed after him, eyebrows raised. 

“What? No grumbling? No moaning? I thought you’d rather go back and catch up on your precious sleep.” 

Shikamaru opened his mouth to ask how she knew he hadn’t slept, but figured the dark eye bags under his eyes were a dead giveaway. 

“It’s a beautiful day out,” he replied elusively, tilting his head back up to the sky almost unconsciously. 

“You really never change,” Temari teased, but soon copied him. “I know what you mean though.” 

The lush clouds loomed over their heads like huge clumps of cotton. They saw a glimpse of the sun from behind the clouds, effortlessly shining light and warmth across the horizon. A comfortable silence washed over them. Shikamaru enjoyed these peaceful moments best; words weren’t necessary when they were in each other’s company. He’d never felt pressured to make small talk or the need to act anything less than himself in her presence. Being acquainted for almost a decade served as a strong foundation during their transition from friends to lovers. They’d already seen the best and worst parts of each other, so a huge chunk of their relationship was based on mutual respect and acceptance. 

Shikamaru tore his eyes away from the sky to observe his girlfriend. Her hair looked almost golden with her head tilted towards the sun, taking his breath away. A mysterious smile graced her lips as she hummed under her breath. It was one of the few rare times he’d seen her so carefree and relaxed during a mission. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” 

Temari paused and flashed him a cheshire grin.

“I was just thinking...you remind me of the clouds,” she mused. “You’re too lax, too calm, even when all hell breaks loose around you. It’s almost irritating how relaxed you are when everyone else is panicking.”

Shikamaru shot her a glance from the corner of his eye, mildly amused at her observation. “I can’t tell if you’re complimenting or insulting me.” 

Temari chuckled. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she watched the fluffy clouds floating above her. 

“But even though you have no sense of urgency, that attitude of yours has a healing effect on everyone around you. To see how calm you are under pressure is soothing, yet when you break loose you leave no room for mercy. It’s no surprise that so many people look up to you.” She finished in a soft voice. For a second, she felt sheepish. Temari didn’t know what pushed her to blurt out her honest thoughts, but she was sure if she didn’t tell him now she never would. 

“Now you’re just exaggerating.” Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, unsure of what else to do or say. “I don’t have that kind of influence on people.” 

“That’s not what everyone else thinks, including me.” 

Despite his high IQ, Shikamaru never had a good grasp on the technique of accepting compliments. So in a futile effort to hide his embarrassment, he grumbled, “You’re a bit too straightforward today. Reminds me of the last time we were alone together.”

To his surprise, Temari flushed from the memory. “Idiot! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 

This time, it was Shikamaru who carried a proud smirk on his face. He poked her red cheeks and wiggled his eyebrows knowingly. “Oh? So you already forgot how you practically begged me to kiss—“ 

“Ahhhh!!!” She pushed her hands towards his mouth to stop him. “Geez! Don’t bring up such an embarrassing moment!” 

His grin only widened at her cute attempt of keeping his mouth shut. If there was one thing he knew about Temari, she’d rather die than show weakness around other people. Seeing different sides of her was a privilege only he—her boyfriend—could have. “So you do remember.” 

Temari threw him a flustered glare, but her eyes softened when she saw the big smile on Shikamaru’s face. Instead of jabbing his shoulder to get him off her back, she clung to his arm and returned his smile with one of her own rare ones. 

“My memory’s a bit hazy right now, so why don’t you remind me?” 

———————————

Another day passed before they entered the desert. Shikamaru was so occupied with bickering and catching up with Temari, he didn’t notice the gradual rise in temperature until he felt the scorching sun beat on his back. All at once he noticed how dry his throat was when he swallowed, how his every movement felt heavy like lead, and his urge to gulp down more water after every sip. After catching him a few times, Temari finally called him out on it. 

“If you keep chugging down so much water, you’ll run out before we get there.” 

Her lips turned down into a frown when Shikamaru stared into her eyes pleadingly. “I’m not sharing mine.” 

“Oh come on! You haven’t taken a sip since we got here.” 

They’d been trekking the desert for more or less an hour, and Temari’s face was somehow still free of sweat. There wasn’t a single hair out of place and she even walked gracefully, as if she was taking a casual stroll around a park rather than passing through no man’s land. Standing next to her, Shikamaru felt like a homeless bum rather than a revered ninja who had survived war. 

Temari crossed her arms over her chest indignantly. “Being born and raised in the desert means we are more resistant to heat than others, but it doesn’t mean we can survive without water,” she explained slowly, as if she was speaking to a child who was still learning the language. 

“But I’m not asking you to give me all of it. Just share a few sips or so,” Shikamaru defended weakly. 

She shook her head at him. “In the desert, it’s every man for himself. We don’t know what could happen while we’re out here, so we have to be as resourceful as we can.” 

“Stingy.” 

Temari glared at him. “Shikamaru…” 

“Okay, okay.” He put his arms up in surrender and sighed deeply. “I’ll try not to die from dehydration while we’re out here.” 

She laughed at his overdramatic act. “Don’t worry, I won’t allow you to die so easily.” 

After another half an hour of walking, or rather, dragging one foot in front of the other in Shikamaru’s case, the scenery started to change. Other than miles and miles of endless sand, there was the occasional cacti and large scorpions disappearing underneath the dirt. But it wasn’t until he spotted a huge field of flowering plants that he paused to look in awe. For as far as he could tell, it was a field of wildflowers and cacti with purple flowers blooming over them. 

“I didn’t know cacti could produce flowers.” Pure, unfiltered wonder dripped from his voice—something so unusual that it prompted Temari to pause as well. 

“Ah. The cacti over there have been around for decades, and flowers bloom around spring and summer.” 

Funny, Temari had walked past this area hundreds of times before but she couldn’t remember the last time she appreciated its beauty. The field of lavender flowers adorning the prickly spikes and surrounded by thousands of yellow wildflowers was a work of art in itself, but what’s truly amazing was its history. Every single cacti in the area had remained standing for more or less a century, and there was something inspiring about something so ancient contributing to the beauty of the vast desert. 

“I can definitely see some similarities between you and those cacti.” 

A gasp escaped her lips, as she whirled her head to him. “Nara Shikamaru, are you calling me prickly?!” 

“Aren’t you?” He immediately cursed his choice of words when he saw the deadly expression on her face. “What a drag, let me explain!”

“Go on, then.” Temari narrowed her eyes. “Depending on what you say, you may or may not walk away in one piece. And girlfriend-less.” 

Shikamaru jammed his hands into his pockets, while he carefully juggled the words inside his head. “Look, isn’t it unnatural for a plant to have spines instead of leaves? And because of how it looks, people unconsciously stay away from it because they’re afraid of being hurt. But in reality, cacti grow spines to defend themselves against animals and to provide shade for themselves. They may not be pretty to look at, and most people would avoid them completely, but despite all that they protect their own.” 

He shot a nervous glance at Temari, who was uncharacteristically quiet as she stared back at him with wet eyes. 

Shikamaru’s jaw dropped. In all the time he’d known her, Temari had shown hints of tears just once before—when they argued before he went on a mission to the Land of Silence. It had only been a few months since then, and he’d already witnessed his girlfriend cry for the second time. Was it something he said? He thought everything sounded okay in his head, unless…

“When I said they’re not pretty to look at, I meant the cacti!” he spout out in desperation. “You’re definitely not ugly. Please don’t cry because of my dumb mouth.” 

Temari wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Who’s crying? From what I recall, you’re the crybaby in this relationship,” she snorted and shifted closer to him. 

“Sometimes I want to slap you for all the stupid things you say. And I still can’t forget your dumb grin from during our Chūnin match, but just this once...thank you, Shikamaru.” His eyes widened when she dropped her purple water container into his hand. 

“Drink up.” Eyes now dry, Temari commanded in her usual barking voice. “It’s almost sunset and we still have some ways to go.” 

He followed without protest. Shikamaru was the picture of calm as he took a swig of water, and yet his mind whirled in confusion as he tried to digest everything in the past five seconds. Was it normal for women to feel angry to teary to stubborn in a span of a few minutes? Was it even possible to feel so much in such a short time? Shikamaru sighed into the container. Women sure were mysterious and troublesome, just like always. 

Temari peered up at him. “You were just thinking how troublesome I am, weren’t you?” 

Shikamaru choked on his water. The small amount he managed to swallow went down the wrong tube and burned his throat as he struggled to find the right words to ask Temari how the fuck she had read his mind. 

“You...what...how…” Temari burst out laughing as unintelligible words gushed out from his mouth. 

“You’re one scary woman,” Shikamaru finally managed to say. 

Temari’s eyes danced as she replaced the water bottle in his hand with her own and laced their fingers together. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

“O-oi! We shouldn’t be doing this during a mission! What would Gaara think?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “He put us together in the first place. Besides, you’re not exactly letting go, are you?” 

Shikamaru stared at her before he looked away, grumbling at how unreasonable she was being as his ears gradually turned red. 

“I’ll let go before we enter Suna.” Temari promised. “So stop worrying and walk, or else we’ll never get there!” 

Too stubborn to tell her he wasn’t looking forward to the separation without sounding irresponsible, Shikamaru squeezed her hand, which was the only reaction Temari needed for her to squeeze back. 

And the two continued to trek across the desert, hand-in-hand, as the blazing sun dipped below the horizon and painted the sky in a brilliant shade of gold. 

**Author's Note:**

> Finally sharing the full piece I wrote for the Shadows of the Wind zine! It was an honor to work with so many incredible ShikaTema fans, and I’m sure the second volume (which is currently in its creation period) will be just as awesome. Thank you all so much for reading! <3


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